The first time you walked into a store to get a mattress, you thought it was straight forward. The knowledge of the types of mattresses is not something you take an interest in until you have to buy one. The problem begins when all this technical stuff about good sleep, better health, and a quality mattress start to be thrown at you. It is essential to know that all these things are relative. Do not get bogged down by all those salesman antics. Understand what you want and go for it. Read reviews such as loom and leaf reviews to understand the pros and cons of all of them.
Mattresses are a straight forward science, but getting a wrong sales associate will mess everything up for you. A while back, mattress designs were rudimentary, looked ugly and drab. The most notable mattress designs of those times are innerspring mattresses. Over time, innovation took center stage, and more exotic mattress types were made. These models include memory foam mattresses, latex foam mattresses, hybrid mattresses and pillow-top mattresses.
Innerspring Mattresses
These are perhaps the most used mattresses by millennials. It is made of a layer of spring infused with filler material, and a comfort layer put interchangeably to provide spinal alignment and support. The comfort layer acts as a cushion from the stiff steel springs. It is made of soft material for comfort and breathability, and Innerspring mattresses are of four types, namely open coil mattresses, offset coil mattresses, pocket spring mattresses, and continuous coil mattresses. Traditional thinking was that the more the springs, the better the mattress, but extensive research has shown that the number of coils and coil gauge matter too.
The main disadvantage of innerspring mattresses is that they tend to get noisy with old age.
Memory Foam Mattresses
These cushions are made of viscoelastic memory foam as the main support framework. They can also feature form cell designs which may realign with your silhouette to aid in fluid movement and back support. The viscoelastic foam is layered as the comfort layer, support layer and base layer with increasing levels of rigidity respectively.
The viscoelastic foam softens under body warmth and adapts to body shape to provide comfort and spinal support. This presents its most considerable misgiving as it traps heat and sleep might tend to be uncomfortable on it after a while.
Viscoelastic foam has also evolved. Now there exists gel infused foam which is the underlying viscoelastic foam laced with gel beads. Gel-infused foam offers more fluid and therefore less noisy movement, making it appropriate for shared beds. It also dissipates heat faster than the standard foam. Research has also been done to develop more environmentally friendly plant-based foam.
Latex Foam Mattresses
It is among the latest innovations in the mattress industry. For better health, the rubber suspended in water to make the latex provides a strong, durable and breathable surface for those who sleep face down. It is not plagued by heat buildup as was the case with memory foam mattresses. For better sleep and sleeping positions, this bed is made to mimic body movements in the shortest time possible. Hence it is very comfortable. It is a very health-based mattress choice since it is antimicrobial and hypoallergenic.
Pocket Spring Mattresses
These mattresses have springs enclosed in individual pockets, and because of this dual action, they provide the most comfort and back support. The springs act independently to support the various body parts regardless.
Hybrid Mattresses
A hybrid mattress adapts the best of both worlds. It uses springs infused with foam. It is an improvement from spring mattresses and solves the heat problem of memory foam mattresses. They have been a recent trend and may come under various trade names.
Pillow top mattresses are underlying memory foam or innerspring mattresses with additional foam to act as a cushion for padding, especially in the head region.
